NBC Renews ‘Hannibal’ For Second Season

It was the only series from the 2012-2013 season whose fate was unknown even after the upfronts, but NBC has now renewed Hannibal for a second season of 13 episodes.

Developed for NBC by Bryan Fuller (who was also behind the network’s failed Munsters reboot Mockingbird Lane), Hannibal is a contemporary take on the characters from Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon novel and as such will revolve around FBI Special Agent Will Graham and his mentor, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The drama series, produced by Gaumont International Television, stars Hugh Dancy as William Graham, Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Caroline Dhavernas as Dr. Alana Bloom and Lara Jean Chorostecki as Freddie Lounds, with Laurence Fishburne appearing in a recurring role. Notable guest stars include Gillian Anderson (The X-Files), Lance Henriksen (Millennium) and Eddie Izzard (Mockingbird Lane).

The renewal of the series comes after Hannibal has been averaging 4.7 million viewers and a 2.0 rating in the A18-49 demo in live+same day. The series also performs very well for NBC on time-shifted viewing, with its 18-49 rating growing by 75% from live+same day to live+seven day. “We’re so proud of Bryan’s vision for a show that is richly textured, psychologically complex, and very compelling,” said NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke. “There are many great stories still to be told.”